Will tech replace teachers?

That was the best part, experiencing the passion of a live teacher. The classroom is to a textbook as a live concert is to a DVD. There's just no comparison.

Sadly, that era is in flux, as teachers face economic obsolescence. We are moving from live instruction to technology-aided teaching — not because it's better, but because it's cheaper.

That would be a shame. Yet the only ones who can prevent a radical conversion are the teachers themselves.

The Association of State Colleges and Faculties members are fighting a state proposal to freeze the salary of part-time temporary faculty members. The union says such a pay discrepancy would discourage the hiring of full time temporaries.

It's really a push for more full-time teaching positions.

That's a noble but ultimately self-destructive course. By making themselves less economically viable, the teachers risk being replaced by robots.

Two important educational organizations just announced a partnership that could eventually lead some colleges to award credits and eventually degrees for online courses. This is no fringe movement. Some of the initiatives include Harvard, MIT and The University of California at Berkeley.

We already have distance learning and video broadcasts to reach geographically disconnected audiences. That allows an efficiency as fewer real teachers can reach more students.

And today's students are growing up in a connected, social media environment where electronic relationships are as natural as eye contact.

The handwriting is on the blackboard. We use larger class sizes to absorb rising teaching costs. It mitigates the largest expense in education — the one-on-one relationship between student and teacher.

The teacherless classroom, a concept that's been around for 50 years has finally become feasible. Not because technology makes it possible — but because economics makes it attractive.

Workers at Monroe County-owned Pleasant Valley Manor recently agreed to wage and benefit concessions to save their jobs and avoid a sale to the private sector. A private operator most certainly would not allow the facility to operate at a million dollar-a year-loss. A takeover would have cost jobs and services.

Workers chose smaller raises to no jobs.

Teachers unions may fall back on a prohibition against K-12s reducing instructional staff to cut costs. But laws can be changed. And they will when voter's pain becomes insufferable.

The university faculty union has already made concessions, as have our local teachers unions. Good for them.

The magic relationship between teacher and student can never be replaced by technology. Let's hope it never is.